New Blog!

Welcome! I now blog over at My Sweet Little Nest.

Please join me over at the new site! :)

Crest Whitestrips- Glamorous White Review

I'm a coffee/tea/pure caffeine drinker. Two cups a day is totally normal for me. In the past few months, I've noticed my teeth have been getting yellow... ew. I started looking into Crest Whitestrips, and saw a pretty good deal on amazon Crest 3D White Whitestrips with Advanced Seal Technology, 14 Count (Packaging May Vary) (affiliate link if you want to go through that. If not, just google it. :))

I've gotta say- I'm impressed. I'm only on DAY THREE! Look at the difference here! I still have 11 more treatments to go and I'm so shocked at the huge improvement already. I can't wait to see how much of a difference there will be at the end! LOVE this product! 

 Disclaimer- I bought this product with my own money to review. Crest has not asked me to review their product, and this is my totally honest review.

Liam's First Birthday! -Party Prep

Hold on. Pause. Rewind. How in the absolute WORLD is my baby boy going to be ONE already? No. No. No. I refuse to accept this. Didn't I just have him? Am I still using his birth as an excuse for the extra chub around my waist line? My lanta', time goes fast. On March 1st, I will have to come to terms with my sweet child growing up. Actually, no. I won't. That's why I decided on a Peter Pan/Neverland/ NEVER grow up theme! ;)

So, let's talk inspiration. This is where I'm starting. I'm working with a wonderful etsy designer for my invitations-saralukecreations. I'm incredibly impressed with her work and quick responses to my questions. I first saw this invitation design on a post of a totally yummy party by Jenny Keller. Seriously. This party was absolutely delicious. Look at the details!

I ordered the Peter Pan movie on eBay (stinking movie vault!) to play during the party. Random fact- This movie was playing while I was in labor! Like... as I was pushing. Between pushes the doctor would turn around and watch. So, it's pretty fitting that it's playing at the party as well.

I am LOVING these hats by etsy designer princessbooksbyjmh. I was going to attempt to make them myself, but then realized, "Who am I kidding... I'm never going to pull that off." So ordering it is. They are super cute. And how fun will it be for the kiddies?

Instead of party bags full of candy, I decided to go a different route. I am giving each child a Disney's Peter Pan Golden Book! They were incredibly cheap on amazon, and I really love the idea of giving out these sweet little books.

We found cute straws and plates to match our "nautical" look. I also stumbled upon the Peter Pan poster I was looking for printed on wood for $14.99 at Meijer! SO cool! The Peter Pan doll is currently on sale for $7.99 at the Disney Store. Great deal! 

Last but certainly not least- We had this onesie made (with Liam's name of course!) by the incredibly talented LivieQ! I'm so excited for him to wear it!

I'm so excited to update as I keep putting this party together. We are so excited for our little baby to never grow up! ;) 

2015- Here we go.

Wow, have I neglected to blog. Many friends and family have encouraged me to start this up again. While I had good intentions with my little corner of the internet, I pretty much gave up on it when I had Liam. Why? It was hard. It was hard to set aside time to blog when I hardly had time to breathe. I work full time from home, I am a Momma to a VERY active 10 month old (when did that happen?), and in all honesty it was hard to commit myself to something I wasn't very good at. I am not a professional writer. I am not incredibly good with grammar and sentence structure. I didn't feel competent enough to have a blog when nothing qualifies me for it. But here's the deal: It's something I have a passion for. I love writing down my thoughts. I love being able to connect with others that I may not have even met. I LOVE keeping everything together in one area where my family, friends, and even people I don't know very well can keep updated on little things in my life. I realized recently that blogging is not my profession. It's my therapeutic diary that I can divulge every little thought into. It can be for me. It doesn't have to be an eloquent piece of writing that competes with writers around the world.
All those crazy little thoughts renewed my passion for this blog, and I have decided to make it my goal to write at least once a week with aspirations to write two times a week this year. There will be lots of changes coming to the blog, and possibly even a new name! I am excited for what is to come!

This has been my life lately. A non-stop, exhausting, incredible, wonderful life. I am blessed. I am thankful. It has been full of love, kisses, tears, sleepless nights, and laughter. 

Bad Blogger=Life Changes

I'm a bad blogger. I go weeks and months without updating, only to realize I still have so much I need to record and to say! These past few months have been an absolute whirlwind. It's been one giant blur in my mind as so much has happened!

Liam is now SIX months old. Holy cow! When did this happen? He is growing up so fast! Within 2 weeks, he learned how to crawl, started to sit up by himself, and got his first two teeth. What? He is definitely not obeying my "don't grow up" rule. He is trying so hard to walk, and gets the biggest smile on his face every time he stands up (holding our fingers of course.) I'm constantly amazed at my little person. I really get to keep him? I recently read a quote that said something along the lines of cherishing every last moment because one time you'll pick your baby up and it will be the last time you get to do that. That hit home big time for me. He's growing so fast, and there will come a day where he no longer snuggles with his head on my chest when he gets sleepy. I love that boy to the moon and back. He has quickly stolen my entire heart.

At the beginning of August, I decided to quit my job. It's definitely been a month of big decisions for me! I was driving to work sometimes 3 hours each way with traffic, and was only getting 2 hours of Liam's awake time in at night. It was breaking my heart. I felt like I was missing everything. Financially, we knew it was going to be incredibly difficult. My husband teaches at a Christian school, and while he LOVES being involved in a ministry, it isn't the biggest money maker in the world. We still have our mortgage to pay, bills to take care of, and a family to feed. I submitted my 2 weeks notice and decided to trust God with the bills. The day my boss got the letter, she brought it to HR and they immediately offered a full-time work from home position to me! It was way more than I ever prayed for or desired. I am SO thankful! Now, I get to spend time with my baby AND help provide for our little family on the money side of things. It's definitely overwhelming at times, but all the extra work is so worth it to see my baby boy experiencing all his firsts!

We completed a few more house projects- painted my grandma's old hutch white to match our decor, and our table set from my Aunt! I LOVE the way they turned out, and it was pretty easy. For free furniture, I sure am in love with it.

I've fallen in love with gold spray paint. Rustoleum Metallic Gold is my absolutely FAVORITE right now. It's a quick way to update vases, outdated decor, and even plastic candy containers you get at Christmas!

And with that, I'll leave you with this. Hysterical. Poor Liam!

Our First Home Updates

As many of you know, the hubby and I bought our first home when I was right about to pop. If you're thinking about moving while pregnant, I totally recommend it. ;) You get out of the hard work and get to sit back while bossing people around. The best! HA!

Now that Liam is 4 months old (when did that happen!??) we finally have started the 500 projects to make the house a home. The first order of business? Paint. The entire downstairs was painted Benjamin Moore's Rockport Gray (mixed in Superpaint by Sherwin Williams.) The former owners were a bit color happy. Literally... you could see 8 different colors from the kitchen and none of them complemented each other. It's SO nice to walk into a neutral greige tone. We can accent each room any way we like, but still have a consistency to the downstairs.

After that big painting project, we were anxious to start something new. On our subdivisions facebook page, someone posted that they had a free dresser at the end of their driveway. When we got there to see it, I was pretty determined that the old thing wasn't going to make it in my house. Seriously. It wasn't very pretty. The more I looked at it (and the more my hubs prodded that we could always use an extra dresser) I became inspired. We were a pretty desperate need of a TV stand before the baby starts getting mobile. Every single one I saw at a high enough height was way out of our price range. Every time I found a "perfect" option, we were looking at around $400-500. Staring at that huge dresser, I vaguely remembered seeing pictures of people turning them into media stands. I excitedly told my husband my plans and he was anxious to get started. So we did it. In one night, we converted a dresser to a TV stand. Whaaat? We aren't handy people. At all. I'm literally in shock that we made this work. I will be doing a post soon on how to do this yourself. If we can do it, I'm positive you can too.

And now, I leave you with a few pictures of my precious boy. :)

Maternity Leave and Liam's 2nd Month.

My boys! :) Liam is getting so big!

Maternity Leave- A Time Too Short

I've officially been back to work for a week. A whole week spending hours away from my boy. Can I admit something? It's hard. Much harder than I could have imagined, and much harder that I ever anticipated. I had always planned on going back to work after maternity leave. It seemed like the only option financially, and I love being able to contribute to my families finances. Now, I am admittedly not sure about that decision. I am with my little one only 15-20% of his waking hours. Crazy, right? I thought I could do it all... full time work and be an excellent momma when I am home; however, I'm quickly realizing that my little family is getting my leftovers. I put a lot of time and energy into my job. I strive to do my best with the multiple projects I handle. By the time I get home, I'm exhausted. I have to make dinner, nurse the baby, and try to spend as much time with him as possible before his bedtime. Then I am trying like crazy to shower and get ready for the next work day, catch up on housework, do laundry, and be a good wife to my sweet hubby. So many women do this every day, and I have to say... I'm impressed. I know for a fact that I struggle to juggle (haha rhyme!) it all. It makes me sad that what my son and husband get at the end of the day is the exhausted version of me. I wish I could give them more! 

Liam's Updates 

Liam is getting so big lately! He's officially 3 months old! I realized I forgot to put up his Month 2 photo, so here it is! He started "talking" to us this month with the cutest little baby babble. I love hearing his coos and seeing that goofy grin of his! He is a very active little guy, and loves playing on his playmat... mostly to look at himself in the attached mirror. The boy thinks his reflection is pretty awesome. ;) Ha! 

The New House

I am so thankful for our home! We have definitely been blessed. I had HUGE plans during maternity leave to get a ton of projects done around the house, buuuuut let's just say I got a little distracted by the super cute baby in my arms, and accomplished a big fat nothing on my list. ;) I don't regret it a single bit. I loved soaking up every single moment with my little! My mom came to stay with me a week ago, and tore up the whole front garden to start a new one. She is AMAZING. The house was a foreclosure, so it was just a mess of overgrown weeds. There was nothing attractive about it. Now I finally can look at it without wincing. ;) 

Sherwin Williams had their paints 40% off recently, so we bought a five-gallon bucket to paint the entire downstairs. So excited! I had them color match Benjamin Moore's Rockport Gray. It's an AWESOME greige color that looks great with pretty much everything. Now I'm just waiting for the time to actually put that paint on the walls. Ha! The previous owners definitely liked color... from the kitchen, you can see over 6 different colors on the walls. Ai yi yi! Needless to say, I'll be a little more comfortable once the new paint goes up. 

I am very thankful for this life. As difficult as it is balancing everything, God is so good to us. We are blessed. 

Baby Must Haves Part 1- The First 2 Months

Liam is nearly 2 months old! Time will not slow down, and I'm slowly creeping toward the end of my maternity leave. I need a pause button. I want to stay home with my boy forever! I can't imagine not spending all day cuddling with him, and I know going back to the office is going to be so difficult. It's amazing how these little people grab ahold of your heart. :)

When Liam first arrived, we didn't have too many products for him. We accumulated most of it after we got to know him and see what he was like. So, without further adieu, here's our favorite from the first two months!

1. The first product I ordered for Liam was the Rock N Play. This has been a LIFESAVER for us. When we got home from the hospital, Liam would not let us put him down. He hated any sort of bassinet. I spent every night for the first week holding him. In the hospital, I was up for nearly 60 hours straight because of the sign that said, "Do not fall asleep with baby in your arms." It was miserable being that sleep deprived after just giving birth, but I was desperate to keep him in the room with me at all times. It sounds silly now, but I had just spent 9 months with that boy growing inside me, and I didn't want anyone to take him away. :) I opened my iPad during one of the late nights, and ordered that rock n play that I heard so much about. When it came in, I cautiously set him down, expecting the normal screams, but he LOVED it. He fell right asleep and was content as can be. He later developed reflux, and this has been tremendous with that as well. It keeps him at the perfect angle to prevent his food from coming back up. You have to be cautious with the rock n play due to flat spots, but we haven't had any trouble with it. I definitely recommend the Snuggapuppy since it has so much extra padding. It's much softer for the baby and helps to cushion the head.

2. The Wubbanub is awesome! Liam loves his paci, but I spent half the night putting it back inside his mouth. Literally it was a cycle of "spit out, scream, repeat" for hours. I was pretty close to velcro-ing that thing around his head. ;)  When I found this gem, the angels started singing. He can hold it to help put it back in his mouth, and it lays on his chest to keep it inside. It comes in lots of cute animals, and we have two to make sure there is one around at all times.

3. The baby swing. I spent a ton of gift card money on the fancy Mamaroo. It's pretty awesome, and the settings were great! Once in a while, Liam will be okay with sitting in it, but usually only about 20 minutes or so. I have a feeling he will like it more as he gets older. This past weekend at my mother-in-laws house I put Liam in her cheap swing... and he loved it a million times more. Ha! Her swing folds up really small for travel. It puts him to sleep almost every time, and when he's awake he coos and smiles. We ended up borrowing it from her to use, and I love how compact it is. It's called the fisher price take along swing, and It has the cutest woodlands print. Here's to hoping that he will eventually love his mamaroo! haha!

4. I finally bought a play mat this past weekend. While he usually hated laying on the floor, he loves it now! I am not a big fan of the colors on normal baby product, but this one by skip hop is adorable! I love the pretty theme, and it was a pretty decent price. He spent an hour the other day smiling at himself and "talking" to the animals. So fun!

5. Aden and Anais swaddle blankets are one of those "hyped up" items in the baby world. They totally live up to the excitement! You have to be sure to get the biggest size they have, but they are totally worth it. I love the "Liam the Brave" print for my little Liam! They are so soft, and I can use them as a nursing cover, stroller, cover, floor mat, blanket, or security blanket when he gets older. They are so breathable so I don't have to worry constantly about him suffocating. Plus, this momma who couldn't swaddle worth anything, can now do it like a pro! These are huge and so easy to wrap him up in! They are on sale for $34.99 on amazon right now which is a GREAT price for these!

6. Nursing tanks are what I live in. I love the Gilligan & O'Malley Target brand! They are super comfy, and so convenient. I've found a couple in their clearance section, and I wear them every single day.

7. Bamboobies overnight nursing pads. Get them. They are reusable, and great for the night time. I like disposables for the day, but these provide so much more protection during the night! They are super soft for the days when you are sore and disposables feel uncomfortable.

8. The halo sleep/swaddle sack is great! It's so easy to use and I love that you can keep their arms in or out. We were lucky to get a free one from our hospital, and I plan on buying the next size up. It helps to calm him down when nothing else does, and I love that it zips open from the bottom for a quick diaper change.

Consciously Self Conscious

Having a baby is a magical thing. The thought of growing a person is incredible. It knocks my socks off every time I look at my baby boy and think, "I MADE that! He grew inside of me!" My body did something so amazing and I'm so blessed that I was able to do something that many people don't get to do. I can't fathom how someone so wonderful could come from me. I. Am. In. Love. My baby boy has captured my heart. 

Unfortunately, there's some non-magical side effects to growing a human. My body was completely ripped to shreds. The stretch marks are horrific. Every time I look in the mirror, I see a completely unattractive person. My stomach is stretched and marked to endless amounts; my skin is loose from where the little boy that I now hold in my arms was once in my stomach; my chest is now graced with dark purple marks from the rapid growth to provide nurishment for my sweet child; my thighs and hips are not without damage as well, as I notice every day as I try to squeeze into my old "fat jeans." 

It's tough. It really is. I've shed countless tears in the bathroom mirror (admittedly wasted moments that I should be spent snuggling my little miracle) as I take in this new person that reflects back at me. I've rushed to cover myself as I heard my husband turning the handle to get something as I get dressed so he wouldn't see me, while deseperately hoping he didn't catch a glance of my striped stomach. I even went as far as wearing only nursing tanks, so I wouldn't have to lift up a shirt to nurse my baby and have anyone see my scarred body. 

I am consciously self conscious. 

But, I would never EVER trade a single one of these marks for my baby boy. Every single one provides evidence that I was able to bring a miraculous little person into this world. My body, by God's grace, was home to the sweetest, most cuddly baby in my world. And for that, I am thankful. For that, I am blessed. 

Liam- 1 Month!

My little boy is 6 weeks old today! I can't believe how fast time is going. I am madly in love with this child. I love watching him learn and discover. He develops new facial expressions every day that crack us up. He surprised us by rolling over from his tummy to his back multiple times. He took quite a bit of time to regain his birth weight, and is a tiny little fella'! He has held his head up by himself since birth, and loves to look around. Kiddo has the longest fingers I have ever seen on a baby! He has absolutely stolen my heart. I love you, Liam Scott! 

Liam Scott is HERE! :)

Friday, February 28th started out fairly normal. I had a doctors appointment, so took the day off of work. Earlier that morning I had lost the "plug" and thought labor would be at least coming soon. When I got to my appt, I was still at 3cm dilated, so quickly passed off the idea of labor happening that day. I was having my usual "braxton hicks" so didn't think too much of them. I spent some time at my husband's school, and even went to a pizza buffet with friends for dinner! We spent the whole evening with our close friends Ben and Brittany putting together the baby's dresser/changing table from Ikea.
By the time I was in bed, the contractions were pretty intense. I stayed up the whole night running back and forth to the bathroom to throw up, and laying on the floor in pain. I still wasn't convinced it was labor. In fact, I didn't even bother waking up my husband! Around 9am the next morning, Joe noticed I was in pretty severe pain, and asked if I had timed them. I hadn't even bothered trying. Ha! He started to time them for me and noticed they were 4 minutes apart. He suggested we go to the hospital, but I quickly shot that idea down. After more convincing (and some major hinting with him packing up the car) I reluctantly agreed that we could go "later." I proceeded to do my hair and make up (because if you're going into labor, that clearly should be your first priority!) and packed up some remaining items. Every time a contraction would hit, Joe would have to put hard pressure on my back to help counter the pain. The hour car ride to the hospital was terrible! I never took a birthing class, so had no idea how to breathe through the pain. I ended up having all back labor, and it was intense!
My doctor had always told me to go to the ER and they would take me up to labor and delivery. When I got there, the lady ushered us away saying that we needed to go to a different entrance. Nothing better than being on a goose chase while in labor! ;) Joe found the entrance but there was no where to park to help me in. I decided to just go myself, and try to find where I needed to be. I aimlessly wandered to the elevators and found the floor. Naturally, there was a line at the check in desk since they had tours that day. I, being the crazy person I am, decided to be a good person and wait my turn. Contractions were about every 2 minutes apart at that point, and I was huddled over with every one. A guy noticed, and asked if I was alright. I just casually said "I think I'm in labor..." and he offered to let me cut them in line. I said no. HA! Apparently I follow all rules, even while in pain. By the time it was my turn, Joe had parked the car and found the floor as well. The lady behind the desk said "how can I help you?" and I told her I thought I "might" be in labor. She handed me a pile of paperwork to fill out (oh the joys!) and asked if I wanted to take a seat. After what seemed like an eternity, they took me back to a triage room to see if I was, in fact, in labor. The nurse there was the sweetest. She taught me how to breathe, was incredibly patient with me, and would make sure everything was quiet and calm during the contractions. In between, she started hooking me up to machines to monitor. My contractions were off the charts! She decided to check the dilation, and immediately left to get another nurse to confirm. I was already at a 7! They had a room ready right away and started to wheel me there. I felt so nauseous, so told her I might get sick. They handed me the tiniest crescent shaped bowl to throw up into. Thaaaanks! The nurse would stop wheeling me during every contraction. During one of the stops, a giant tour group walked by. Fantastic. I was a added asset to the tour. "Here's an actual labor!" People were gawking. Literally. There were some people peeking their heads out even after they got into the room they were headed to. So funny!
Immediately when I got into my delivery room, I started getting sick. Poor Joe was holding the polly-pocket sized bowl while I threw up everywhere. He ran to the bathroom to empty it between. If you know my husband, this is incredible. He isn't one for bodily functions. Ha! In fact, he had always said he probably wouldn't even be in the room during my labor! He was outstanding.
My mom, sister, dad, and two best friends arrived shortly after we got there. It was SO good to have that support system! Ironically there was a Disney movie marathon playing on the TV. I tried concentrating on that to take my mind of the pain, buuuut it didn't work so well. My doctor is known for attending all of her patient's labors. Naturally, she was gone for mine. ha! :) Instead a man walked into the room telling me he was my doctor for the day. I was SO mortified. I chose my doctor because I was uncomfortable with a male. Thankfully, he was amazing and made sure it wasn't awkward at all. Then, a male student walked in and asked in the most measly voice, "Can I please watch your labor?" ... Yeah. At that point all pride went out the window. I was willing to let the president watch if he wanted. Hey, they could even broadcast it on the 6 o'clock news!
I was always told I couldn't get an epidural with my scoliosis. A HUGE moment happened when the anesthesiologist on duty specialized in scoliosis! He offered to try it, to help with the pain. I was willing to try anything! I was too far into it to have any pain meds, and it was the last chance for an epi. The epi worked like a dream! That is, for about 30 minutes... Then labor pains came back full swing. I was shaking out of control. The back pain was so bad that I was begging for another try at the epi. They brought him back, but I was so close to labor that he couldn't do anything else for me. At the end of every contraction, I couldn't stop pushing. The doctors had all left the room, and my mom noticed. I begged her not to tell them, but she ran to find someone. Sure enough, I was dilated to a 10 and ready to go. Panic set in. I had no idea what to do. A big light came down from the ceiling, and everyone was all up and personal. The doctor told me that pushing for first time moms usually takes around 3 hours. What. No. That wasn't going to be okay.
Pushing hurt. Bad. I felt like I was going to pass out, and was yelling that it hurt. Some nurse that wasn't helping with anything and was typing on her computer the whole time came over and said "You need to CALM DOWN." Oh goodness. I think if my legs weren't being held into place I would have used them to kick her. Greeeeat things to say to a woman in labor! ;) Needless to say, I didn't calm down.
In between the pushes the whole staff would turn around to watch the Disney movie playing behind them... ironically it was Peter Pan! Our son's nursery theme!
My mom and hubby were incredible. Both were so supportive during all the pushes, and tried to make me comfortable. Joe even watched the entire thing.
It was pretty discouraging to finally start to push the head out and then give up in the middle of the push. I could feel it get sucked back in! Haha! My poor child. First game of peek a boo?
Finally, after 31 minutes of pushing, he arrived! It was the biggest feeling of relief that I can even say. That moment where they lay that bundle on your chest is incredible. He was perfect in every way. I couldn't believe it! His daddy cut the cord and proudly held that baby. Everyone came into the room to see our sweet boy, and the doctors stitched me up. Actually, they let the student stitch me up... ai yi yi! :) So thankful that he is HERE!
Liam Scott was born at 4:31 pm on March 1st, and was 7lbs 13oz and 20.5 inches long. He is the light of our lives!

Neverland Nursery- Coming Together

Wow- 38 weeks! I can't believe our little prince is almost here. Things seem to be progressing very quickly. According to my doctor, it could be any day now. With these contractions, I'm definitely agreeing with her. :) I'm getting a little more excited as the day approaches. I am definitely nervous, but so ready to not carry around a basketball in my stomach. It will be nice to be able to flip over at night without feeling like I just ran a marathon. 

Now that we are all moved into the new house, the nursery is SLOWLY coming together. We still don't have much in there, but we should have all the pieces by this weekend. I'm putting together a Peter Pan/Neverland nursery theme. I wanted it to have that Peter Pan feel, but very subtly. It is really hard to do! Everything for Peter Pan seems to be very cartoon-ish. I decided to keep the colors as navy blue, gray, red, and small touches of Peter Pan green. Yesterday I arrived home to see that incredible rocking chair in the picture below in my driveway. Such an incredible surprise from my Dad! My Mom completed a HUGE task for us by painting the formerly electric blue room to a soothing gray shade. She is amazing! The gray walls gave us a great background to add pops of color to. I love the look of the Harper Crib bedding in navy blue from Pottery Barn. Unfortunately it comes with a high price tag. I was scouring the PB outlet (amazing place if you haven't been!) and stumbled upon the Harper bumper in red for 1/4 of the price. I was desperately wishing for the other pieces in navy, but could not justify spending the money. A few weeks went by and finally a great dupe of the bedding came to Babies R' Us! We put it on our registry, and my sweet aunt got it for us. It definitely is going to pull the room together. I also decided to get a dresser that would double as a changing table instead of having the two separate. The Ikea Hemnes dresser is fabulous! It has the perfect amount of space without completely breaking the bank. We are going this weekend to Ikea to pick one up. :) I love the idea of using silhouettes instead of movie stills for the room. It gives the room a much more elegant feel. Navy striped curtains will help break up the gray wall and add a fun punch to the room. 

Chair- Target
Dresser- Ikea Hemnes
Rug- Target
Peter Pan Doll- Disney Store


Watching my husband put together the rocking chair tonight was definitely surreal. I can't believe we are going to be parents. I know he is going to be an incredibly daddy to our little boy!

I will try to post pictures when the room comes together. I am so excited to see how it will turn out!

Recent Loves & We're All Moved In! :)

Wow! What a busy few weeks it has been. We are FINALLY moved into our new place! I was walking around the house today while my husband had some friends over, and I was literally brought to tears with how blessed we are. This house is incredible. I love it, and I'm so thankful God chose this for us! While we will probably be living out of boxes for a little while, I'm so grateful to finally start nesting. I finally have my own place! There's so many possibilities here. I can't wait to paint the walls, get some furniture, and start making it our own. The next few weeks are going to be insanely busy. We have a baby shower every weekend for the next three weekends. I can't wait! I'm finally at the 35 week mark, so it will be exciting to start putting these gifts into our little boy's room. It's overwhelming to think he will be here in about a month! I just hope we can get the house in a semi-organized condition by the time he arrives. :) 

Thanks to Christmas/Birthday gift cards and TJ Maxx, I've made some pretty great purchases lately, and I've been excited to share them on here! 

1. I FINALLY purchased the iPad Air I've been saving for! I saved all my Christmas and birthday money for this, and I was so excited to finally get it. It's been so great! I love bringing it to work and keeping it in my purse. It's awesome for watching movies, and the battery life is fabulous! 

2. Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in Sparkling Sands: This stuff. If you don't have it yet, run to Target right now and grab it. You will NOT be disappointed. I had heard that it was a great dupe for Benefit's Watts Up (which I love!) so I gave it a try. It's only $10.99 and HUGE for the price. It gives the most natural glow and the perfect highlight. I can't say enough good about this stuff! 

3. Jonathan Adler glasses from TJ Maxx- Oh my goodness. At $2.99, I couldn't pass these up! There were only two in my store, so I am going to keep a look out for more. They are super cute and just the most fun shade of hot pink! I've been really lucky at TJ's lately. I even scored a giant Ralph Lauren purse (normally $248) for $49! It is giant and holds all my stuff, plus my iPad with plenty of room to spare. Such a great buy! 

I will be posting pictures this week of all of my plans for the new house. I think I've finally decided on a few of the paint colors, so will be sharing that soon! :) I'm excited to post all about this new journey! 

24 Before 25

I just celebrated my 24th birthday 2 weeks ago. I've been inspired after seeing similar posts to make a list of my own things to accomplish before the big 25 milestone. This is going to be a crazy year, and I can't wait to see what will happen. So, without further adieu: 

1. Move into our first home and make it beautiful. Decorate it. Love it. Make a million memories. 

2. Have my baby and be the best momma I can be.  (obviously going to be in progress always!)

3. Blog more

4. Be a better wife. Encourage my husband. Build him up.  (constantly working on this one!)

5. Be more thankful. I have so much, and I need to be less selfish. 

6. Lose the baby weight. Be active after he gets here. Don't make excuses. 

7. Have a party in our new home. Make it a place where everyone feels welcome. 

8. Learn to coupon. Be smart with our money. 

9. Read God's word more. Stop being lazy. 

10. Get organized and stay organized. 

11. Plan more creative dates at home. Learn to cook fun meals for my husband. 

12. Spend more time on others. Call family more. 

13. Spend more time "getting pretty." Do my hair. Look as good as I possibly can for my husband. 

14. Take more pictures. 

15. Write encouraging letters to friends and family throughout the year. Make their day. 

16. Paint all the furniture that I have been planning to paint for the last 2 years. 

17. Be more motivated and less lazy. Keep on top of things at work. 

18. Plan/go on a family vacation. 

19. Get an iPad. I've wanted one for years, and it might be time to take the plunge. (Well, that don't be selfish thing just went out the window. Ha!) 

20. Donate all those clothes that I pretend I'm going to wear again. 

21. Spend time with friends. I know it will be tempting to stay in all the time with a new baby. 

22. Document, to the best of my ability, all of our baby's firsts. 

23. Decorate a room of the house in pink and navy. 

24.  Accomplish 10 different projects off pinterest. 

Hello, 2014! I'm ready for you.

Well, hello there! It's been a while. There has been more excitement in the last month than I can handle. For one... we bought our dream home! :) As you may remember, we previously had our offer accepted on a house that ended up being a maintenance nightmare. It was old, in bad shape, and not in the greatest area. God definitely rewarded our patience and willingness to step away from that. We ended up getting a gorgeous 2 story home in our price range! It was incredible to watch this all play out. I found the home on Zillow, but it was a lot more than we were willing to spend. I jokingly asked my realtor if we could just low ball on this one since I would be happy living there forever. He texted back and let me know that the realtor selling that house actually sits next to him. Not only that, but the home was bank owned so he knew they'd be willing to take a lower offer. The other realtor was out of the office for two weeks, so I hadn't heard anything back for a while. My husband randomly encouraged me to bring it back up and the next day our realtor friend said "let's go look at it!" Everything fell into place. Even the other realtor helped encourage the bank to accept our offer. It was an awesome situation. It's so much better than we ever could have dreamed! I can't wait to raise our baby here. It has four bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms. My favorite part? It has TWO walk in closets in the master bedroom! EEK!

2 more months until Baby L is here! :) He will be full term in 6 weeks! AH! We have nothing ready, so hopefully he stays put! I can't wait to meet the little guy.

The bump definitely makes me laugh. I will wake up one morning and hardly look pregnant, and the next I'll feel huge! It all depends on how he is sitting that day. So weird to watch! I'm still not having any cravings. I'm feeling pretty good aside from back pain! I have to admit, I'm definitely ready to have my body back. It's so discouraging trying to get ready and feeling so large. My confidence level hasn't been very high. I have to keep focusing on the fact that my body is doing an extremely beautiful thing even if I don't feel attractive at all. It's been an odd experience, but I've admittedly always had body image issues. I'm almost to the end of this pregnancy, so thankful for that. If you see me in person, just try not to point out of the fact that I look like a cow. Ha!

Christmas and my birthday are within 9 days of each other, so I always feel so spoiled this time of year! My birthday was a bit of an odd one. My poor husband forgot all about it. Ha! I'm pretty sure I will tease him about that one for the rest of his life. I spent the whole day in the hospital for appointments and an ultrasound. Definitely not the most exciting birthday, but at least I got to see the baby! :) I was truly spoiled by my family. My mom, sister, and grandpa all went in on a kitchenaid mixer for me! I cannot wait to use it. I've wanted one forever! I plan on painting it a fun color (aka pink!) to make it unique. Maybe Even adding in some gold chevron accents? Or a monogram? Can't wait to play with this! I was overwhelmed with Christmas presents. So, so blessed! Everything I received I loved. I got lots of great new goodies for the new house. Joe's mom even got me my first coach bag! I received enough gift cards that I might be able to buy the iPad I've been wanting for years. 

Through all the excitement of the last few months, we also lost my husband's amazing, witty grandmother. We celebrated her life on Saturday, and she will definitely be missed! I'm thankful for the time I got to know her and spend with her. 

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! Here's to making it the best year yet. :) 

A roller coaster ride

Where do I even begin with the last few weeks? I feel like we've been on a roller coaster ride. A few weeks ago we finally found a home! It was such an exciting moment to start signing that paperwork. It wasn't my dream house by any means, but I was just excited to finally have a place to start nesting. We were all set and approved, that is, until the inspection took place. I've never been so thankful for my handy grandpa, uncle, and mom as I was then. They looked over the inspection papers and told me to get out of it as soon as possible. The house was a giant money pit. Everything needed to be changed... including all the electrical. I've learned more terms about house problems than I ever knew existed before in the last two weeks. We lost out on some money from backing away, but I'm so thankful that we were able to get out before we were permanently stuck with it. So, we've started the whole process again. This time I feel more prepared and know what to look for. It's been a little disheartening with our baby so close to coming into the world, but I'm thankful for our little one bedroom apartment and a roof over our heads.

For Thanksgiving, we took nearly a week to visit my husband's family at the other side of the state. Unfortunately, every annoying pregnancy symptom in the world decided to show up for me while I was there. It was a rough week! I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend with his family, even if a lot of my time was spent on the couch or in bed. I'm still experiencing some painful symptoms now, and have been working from home for the last few days. I'm praying that the rest of this pregnancy will fly by and I will get some relief! I'm thankful that I get the chance to experience the miracle of life, but it's definitely not the most enjoyable experience health wise. Ha! I've been so grateful for Joe lately. He has been taking care of me every day, and is constantly putting my needs before his own. He has made Walgreens runs for medicine, held me until while I couldn't sleep, and encouraged me when I felt the worst. I think he's going to be an excellent daddy. :) I'm more blessed than I know.

25 Weeks! Bumpdate

How Far Along?  25 weeks and 2 days
Size of the Baby?  Papaya (getting big!) 
Maternity Clothes? Sort of! I bought a pair of jeans and a shirt, but that's it. Most of my clothes still fit, so I'm waiting to buy until I have to. 
Stretch Marks?  I've found some small ones. :( Bummer!
Gender?  Baby boy! 
Name? Yes! I'll be announcing this soon. 
Sleep? Sleeping well! Getting up sometimes for the bathroom, but nothing too awful. 
Cravings? Not really. I do like fries and fruit; however, nothing that I need to satisfy immediately. 
What I Miss? Feeling skinny. Ha! It's hard to get used to this bump.  
Symptoms? Nothing too notable right now. 
Movement?  Tons! The doctor said I have an anterior placenta so I won't feel kicks as hard as some, and that surprised me since I feel so much! :) He is such an active kiddo!
Belly Button?  In!
Morning Sickness? This has been one of the best parts about the last few weeks... my morning sickness is pretty much gone! I haven't thrown up! I still have some moments where I feel nauseous, but nothing bad at all. 
Weight Gain? I'm sure now that the throwing up is over I probably have. :) At my last appointment I had only gained 3 pounds the whole pregnancy. I'm guessing my next one will be different! Ha!
Best Moment? Joe can finally feel the kicks! It's so fun to be able to "share" this with him. 

Deer Season? More like "Coach's Wife" Season

Ah, it has returned. Basketball training is in full force for my varsity-coach hubby. I suppose I'll see him again sometime in the spring! ;) It's a bit surreal thinking that at the end of this season, we will be preparing for labor and our little prince to arrive.

So much is going to change! Exciting changes, but a bit nerve wracking. In the next three months we will be (Lord willing) putting an offer in on a house, going through basketball season, living it up through out last childless holiday season, and having a BABY! Everything just seems like a weird dream.

I'm so excited to experience everything with my husband. As silly as it sounds, we've bonded a lot throughout just the last year. Obviously I loved him enough before that to marry him, (ha!) but it seems like we've grown so much closer. I always had trouble with communication. I am not the most open book in the world, and it took a long time for me to try to explain to Joe exactly what was going through my head. I finally feel like I'm in a place where I can talk to him about anything. I still have my Anna-bubble moments, but being able to talk to him like a best friend has been nothing short of amazing. I'm thankful he puts up with my introvert ways. :)

In other news, I'm planning out a Peter Pan/Neverland themed nursery for our little guy. I can't tell you how excited I am about this! It is such a fun theme, and I hope I can pull it off! I would love to hear any ideas you have. I'm hoping to keep it subtle and whimsical with a nautical feel. This can totally work, right? ;) I've been having a tough time finding bedding I like, but I do like the comforter and bed skirt of this set from Target. I found navy blue anchor sheets from Babies R Us that I would use instead of the alligator ones. I'm hoping this works out like it does in my head. :)

I'm also debating cloth diapering. Maybe it's just because I've been throwing up for 6 months straight, but It's hard for me to fathom dealing with that. I am tempted to try it though. Hopefully someone out there has some encouragement on this! So far I love these by Charlie Banana.

I am also the proud new owner of an Ergo baby carrier! I found it on sale for $67, so am determined to give it a try. I've heard so many good things about these!

 

I'm loving everything by Aden + Anais. Their swaddles are so soft! I hope that their products are worth the higher price point. They seem like great quality. 

I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left until the Holiday craziness begins. My favorite time of year! My birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all within a month! :) My favorite gingerbread candle is burning strong, and I've already played way too much Christmas music. So excited for the next couple weeks!

House Hunting Woes & Preparing for the Tiny Bro

 

See this picture of my 4 year old self? House hunting gives me the same expression.

House hunting stinks. It is full on my worst enemy. We are in the process of searching for a house before baby boy gets here, and it just seems like the most impossible task around. The last 4 houses I loved sold while we were literally on our way to them. How does that even happen? Today I found one that was spectacular. I loved everything about it. It had only been on the market an hour when... kaboom. Gone. Sold. That marks 5.

Like... do people not have jobs? Do people just wait outside houses they like and run full speed ahead as soon as one goes on the market? Am I the only one who actually needs to tour a house before I spend my entire life savings on a down payment? Really... am I the crazy one?

The wild thing is, I live near Detroit. Yeah, that Detroit. There should be no way on this planet that houses in this area sell like hotcakes during rush hour. So now I'm at the point of pondering what this could mean. Is this God telling us that he's going to change our life plans? Is this his way of preventing us from settling when he has something bigger for us? I suppose this is the time where I need to just trust. That's a bit easier said than done. I need to trust that his plan is better than mine, and that he's got this under control. He's never out of control, so why do I stress?

I just want to feel settled. I want to have a home prepared for this baby. I want to spend time decorating a nursery. I want to "nest" and get everything in place. We can hardly fit our own stuff in our little 1 bedroom apartment in the shady part of town... so what will we do if the baby gets here before the house does? I know we will manage, but I want so badly to have a place that we can call ours.

The good thing about looking through 500 houses, is I've really narrowed down my necessities for a house. I've chosen a short list of things that are requirements for me and combined them with things my husband wants. They are simple. Very simple. Yet, so many houses don't even have one!

1. I want a garage. An attached garage is preferred. I don't know what's up with this area, but very few houses even have a garage. It might sound silly, but in Michigan we have the craziest weather ever. We only have one car... I want to protect that thing.

2. I want a fireplace. I don't care what kind, but it's something that I've always wanted. I know you can purchase fake ones, so that's always an option if we find one that we love without one.

3. Three or more bedrooms and 1.5 or more bathrooms. Again, I'm not looking for a mansion. I'm looking for something that can support a growing family.

4. A basement. Joe would love a finished basement, but even a normal one will do. Again, I've been through too many tornados in this crazy state not to have one.

5. Something that won't need a crazy load of maintenance. We are not handy people. Give me a hammer and I'll probably just hit you with it. (Okay, not really, but whatev.) I don't want to move into  a place that needs extensive remodeling to be livable.

6. Something that's not a little tiny box with walls. I don't need a mansion, but I would like something over 1300 square feet. I want to have space to have space. Does that make sense? One of the problems of our apartment is you can never escape each other. I love my husband to pieces, but sometimes I need my bubble.

7. Safe. I just want to be in a neighborhood where I feel comfortable letting our son out to play. 



See! That's it. I feel like my list is realistic. I don't need a 10 acre yard with a pool, or some 5000 sq ft mansion with a spiral staircase (but if you are offering....) I just want a simple home that we can raise an extremely awesome little boy in.

So, here goes another week of seeing what God's plan is for us. I would appreciate your prayers as we try to get this stuff figured out, and that I would be at peace with whatever we end up with. Here goes nothing!